PRESS RELEASE : Kyrylo Tymoshenko met with the leadership of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 3 June 2022.

Pursuant to the task from Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Tymoshenko met with President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Leendert Verbeek and Secretary General of the Congress Andreas Kiefer.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko stressed that this visit is very important for the support of our country and people.

He noted that Russia’s military plans to capture Ukraine have failed, but the Kremlin continues hostilities, sending troops to our country.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko stressed that Ukraine will continue to resist Russian aggression and does not intend to give up its territories and people. At the same time, as a result of the Russian invasion, many cities and infrastructure facilities in our country were destroyed, thousands of Ukrainians died, and millions were forced to flee their homes.

“I am grateful for the clear and decisive position of the members of Congress as regards Russian aggression. It is very important for us to continue the total pressure on the aggressor state,” he said.

The Deputy Head of the Office of the President also said that despite the war, several meetings of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine were held, which allowed central and local authorities to stay in touch, resolve urgent issues and plan reconstruction measures.

“The initiative of the President of Ukraine is that for each region there is a state that will take patronage over its reconstruction. This applies to all regions, not just those affected by the war or currently occupied. Because the Head of State has a vision that this is a chance to change the country,” Kyrylo Tymoshenko said.

Therefore, according to him, catalogs were prepared for each region, which contain all the information about the destroyed and damaged infrastructure.

“Here we hope for your help, either in terms of targeted projects or in the framework of cooperation between cities and communities. Because it is important for us to start rebuilding, for example, schools before the beginning of the school year on September 1 or building housing for people who lost it,” said the Deputy Head of the President’s Office.

Leendert Verbeek said that he had met with several leaders of Ukrainian cities affected by the war. He noted that the main goal of the Congress is to establish a dialogue between municipalities from different countries and exchange experiences.

Andreas Kiefer stressed the importance of effective cooperation between central and regional authorities. According to him, the transfer of responsibility to the local level and mutual trust are important for the construction of a new and modern Ukraine.

The parties also touched upon the organization of education for schoolchildren in Ukraine and for those who were forced to go abroad with their families to escape the war. In particular, they noted the need to adapt or combine school programs in Ukraine and those countries where children stay.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko also noted that today the Ukrainian authorities are working to attract business to rebuild schools that were damaged as a result of the Russian invasion. There is also the issue of reorganizing the ways of transporting pupils to educational institutions from those settlements where schools were completely destroyed.

The Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe noted that he had already discussed with representatives of European organizations the possibility of contributing to the reconstruction of the affected regions of Ukraine.